St. Augustine High School picks its first female president

St. Augustine High School's new president promised Wednesday to boost the celebrated school's academic standing and public visibility with new courses and a greater presence on the public stage, while holding its traditional values "to respect human life and dignity in this city." Karen Smith Collins, a high school principal in New Orleans and suburban St. Louis before coming to St. Aug, spoke briefly about her plans to a school library full of parents, alumni and several public officials summoned to meet the first female president in the school's 61-year history. Collins said she hopes to introduce some curriculum changes, such as more advanced-placement courses. And she said she wanted to see the school raise its profile by seeking out regional and national competitions to showcase its talents and provide networking and other opportunities for its students.

View full sizeJohn McCusker, The Times-PicayuneKaren Smith Collins was welcomed as the new principal of St. Augustine High School on Wednesday. Here she talks with Troy Henry, president of the board of directors.

She said she hopes the school would put greater emphasis on community service for its students.

Collins was raised in New Orleans and was principal of Francis Gaudet Elementary before Hurricane Katrina and Sarah T. Reed High School afterward.

She left for St. Louis to accompany her husband, Kelvin Adams, as he became superintendent of public schools there. She became principal of McCluer South-Berkeley High School, but went on leave from that post in November for personal reasons, she said.

Collins becomes the fourth president in St. Augustine's history. She takes office after a grueling year of conflict in which the school's local leadership struggled with the Archdiocese of New Orleans and its founders, the Josephite religious order, over issues of local control of school affairs.

The dispute, ultimately resolved, cost the school its last president, the Rev. John Raphael, who was recalled to his order's headquarters in Baltimore.

Collins' selection and her introduction drew a small crowd to the St. Augustine library that signaled its weight in the community. It included two City Council members, Jackie Clarkson and Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, state Rep. Austin Badon and actor Wendell Pierce, the latter two St. Aug graduates.

St. Augustine is celebrated for its record in mentoring African-American boys and preparing them for careers in the professions, civic life and business affairs.

News of her appointment over the weekend prompted discussion, on radio and elsewhere, whether a woman was the best fit for St. Augustine's all-male mission.

So in introducing Collins, Troy Henry, chairman of the school's board of directors, took pains to describe the rigor of the application and interview process that ultimately selected her.

He said Collins emerged from a field of 18 candidates, including two women and 10 alumni, solicited by a committee that included school officials, parents and alumni representatives.

In the midst of her interview process, she took the school's long-term strategic plan and formulated an implementation plan "that was phenomenal," Henry said.

"The three-year plan she laid for St. Augustine High School fit perfectly with the vision the board of directors has for St. Augustine High School," he said.

In a brief interview later, Collins addressed the gender question. "I don't see that as an issue," she said. "I thought the issue was who is the most qualified."

She noted that Xavier Prep, an all-girl Catholic prep school, is led by a man, Joseph Peychaud.

Henry also seemed to take note of any public skepticism around her appointment, praising the board for risking criticism by making an unconventional selection.

"Those board members said we're committed to pick the best person, bar none," Henry said.

"I want Dr. Collins to know she has this board of directors' 100 percent, undying support. She is not in this alone."